Sunday, August 23, 2009

Deepest thanks!

One of the things Jude and I have been feeling these past two weeks apart from a profound sense of joy at being Sophie's parents, sleeplessness from the night feeds, and gratitude for all the help and food we've been receiving, is a sense of guilt. Yup, guilt. For all the times our friends have had babies and we didn't bring them something.

Because really, if not for the almost continuous stream of generous meals we've been getting from all you wonderful folks out there, I think Jude and I would be tearing our hair out trying to juggle making meals on top of taking care of Sophie and just adjusting to parenthood in general. It's such a wonderful gesture and something not conventional back home in Singapore I suppose, where mothers, relatives, or confinement ladies are the ones responsible for meals. Here, where perhaps parents may not live as close by or are less able to stay for extended periods, it's the kindness of friends that becomes such a lifesaver... And so to everyone below, a huge THANK YOU for your generosity and thoughtfulness- Jude, Sophie, and I think you're just the awesomest best! :)

Rick & Emilee who brought us dinner our second night at the hospital and saved us from another encounter with sad hotdogs and gloppy lasagna; and for the delicious Zingerman's sandwiches last weekend.

Eric, Amy, & Finn who not only brought a delicious pot-roast but also a huge box of diapers (which our resident Princess Poopypants went through in A WEEK) and a lovely outfit for Sophie.

Dan, Wendy, Tobin & Julianne for a scrumptiously moist blueberry coffee cake the first week we were home (we couldn't stop eating it!), a warming potato-leek-bacon soup yesterday, and an adorable toy for Sophie that Julianne helped pick out.

Libby (a.k.a. the newly minted Dr. Hemphill!!), her mom, & Naomi who came by with a huge bag of Zingerman's bagels and their house cream cheese, plus a "My Daddy's a Geek" onesie that we can't wait for Sophie to grow big enough to wear :)

Molly, our doula-- who was so apologetic for missing Sophie's birth-- for the dozen all-butter croissants that basically was breakfast for a week.

Tanya, Wil, & Lily who brought a giant tray of spinach-beef lasagna-- I swear it could serve 8 people-- plus a baguette, a bag of salad, an apple tart, and a toy for Sophie tht Lily had picked out :)

Airong, our Korean-Chinese neighbor, for a huge pot of Korean seaweed-beef soup that the ladies in Korea take postpartum to help with recovery. It truly tasted deliciously nourishing...

Sarah, whose experiment with a tomatillo-chicken stew was our gain when she brought over a generous portion for us.

Julie who came over with what seemed like half of Plum Market and her own pantry! There was two portions of homemade grilled tarragon chicken, two large containers of salad, tarragon pesto, plums, two baked potato, ciabatta bread, ice-cream, and the most decadent brownies we've ever had! She basically single-handedly sustained us for close to two days! Oh, and she also had gifts for Sophie too- bath lotions and baby massage oils, which are perfect since we've been giving Sophie nightly massages that she seems to really enjoy (it's something Jude has carved out as his thing to do with Sophie- it's ridiculously sweet...)

Liz & Megan who also brought a generous tray of lasagna-- I think it's chicken or turkey this time-- which was equally delicious. Megan also walked into the house straight toward Sophie with a bag, calling out, "Baby Sophie, Baby Sophie!" Turns out, there was a pair of pink shoes in there that she really wanted to give to Sophie. It was an adorable moment :)

Serena whose giant portion of homemade Greek salad had so many bright and bold flavors, I was convinced she must have thrown half the produce section of the supermarket in there- lettuce, feta cheese, two kinds of peppers, red onions, cucumbers, chickpeas, and tomatoes.

And a huge thanks to Annelise, and Liz, Dan, Hannah, & Divya for visiting with us and for bringing even more gifts for Sophie- from a beautiful Tea blouse, to the lovely, I Love You Through and Through, to an adorable polka-dotted two piece swimsuit that we can't wait for Sophie to put on next summer! :)